The Impossible Turnabout
by ThatSplendidJerk
Summary: Two case-solvers. Two space-fliers. A jump in space... and time. We are guessing you can say encounters like this... are fine. Prequel to The Cosmic Turnabout Time-wise, set in the Gyakuten Saiban 5 timeline, with Danganronpa v3 characters keeping their implied ages.
1. Your Turn to Fulfill a Dream

Autumn had begun, and as October gave way to the first chills of November, the Oogawara Space Center was giving in to effervescence and frenzy. It was fortunate that the director was attracting all the attention. A certain lawyer had business to do with a certain astronaut who was in the premises... and press butting in to this particular conversation was the last thing he would want to happen.

Memories and flashbacks came rushing the more he got close to the doors.

That place... it hadn't changed at all...

Everything was set as it used to be.

He inhaled deeply as he made his way in and the visitor badge was affixed into his jacket by Ponco. There was no one looking, so the little courteous, thankful nod he gave the robot didn't embarrass him much. His cheers echoed behind him as he finally got into the main lobby. Ponco was sure as loud as he was useful!

Looking to the sides, he had even caught a glimpse of a familiar face -answering questions in one of the screens- that made him grin side to side.

"Oh no, he didn't" he chuckled to himself. Hopefully the fame hadn't gone to his head that quickly?

"I knew you'd come!" came a yell at the end of the space lounge.

He had been prepared to find Aoi Daichi in high spirits, but man, was he positively beaming! If it wasn't for his height and attire, one could say he was the same kid he had befriended one fateful night in middle school - just considerably happier. He didn't remember seeing him in a prouder mood - but of course... that was to be expected!

"You were there for me when I was jobless. No way I was gonna be anywhere but here when you got your big break, man!"

"C'mon, you would have done the same for me, don't make it sound as so much of a deal!"

Being out and about as a lawyer had limited Hosuke's social interaction, and he was reportedly a bad newspaper reader, but he never stopped checking on his friend's progress. The exam and subsequent picking as part of the Space Center were right at the front and center of his thoughts.

"Space at last, eh?" he added, lifting his hand to catch Aoi's in a friendly slap-and-grasp.

He had come prepared for the mandatory greeting pat in the back, but it was more like being slapped by a whale fin! Hosuke almost fell over, the junior astronaut's strong laugh making the windows around him vibrate. The lawyer straighthened up, grinning cheesily. Of course, he couldn't put it past Aoi! He had always been loud and bubbly, but how could he blame him? It was a dream cherished for so long, after all!

Hosuke knew how much the HAT-1 experience had shaped his friend's view of space travel. He had been an unofficial part of that group, and in the weeks that followed, he had been collecting press clips and news about the now-labelled 'Miracle'. Aoi was as passionate as before, but he could see cautiousness and reserve at times that wasn't usual in his previous juvenile excitement.

They were sure getting older, the lawyer thought, but he shoved that thought aside. No court room could compare to space and its immensity. How could he fathom what could be running through his mind, as he was so close to achieving his dream? A dream so full of dangers as it was of wonder?

Was there an equivalent for him?

He tried bringing to his mind the moment where he started working with Kirihito Garyuu... but all he could think was his big break with Ryuuichi Naruhodou. And that being the case... he could understand perfectly well... he had felt that kind of joy before.

"How do I ask this? Oh well" Hosuke assumed his reflexive pose "how about... d'you feel ready for this?"

"So far, everything is prepared for the launch" Aoi posed one gloved hand on the window. He had turned off the image effect so he could look directly out to the grounds. "But of course... we have to sit it out... just for a little bit longer!"

"Nerves?" grinned Hosuke. he would have expected Aoi to be jumping on his toes out of excitement. Yet he seemed a tad more composed than he had imagined.

"Me? Nerves? No way, I've been waiting for this my entire life! Y'know me... I'm fine!"

And they both laughed in unison. As old times past!

"I saw you onscreen earlier" Hosuke chuckled at the memory. "So I´m friends with a famous man, eh? Was that an interview?"

"Ah... not really. They were after my mentor, not me... so I just had to tell the reporters that he wasn't - ah - receiving the press... not for the moment anyway..."

Was it him, or had he ever seen Aoi twiddling his fingers before?

"Say, speaking of which... I haven't seen Hoshinari-san in a while..."

"Well... he's better off away from all of this..."

"But hey, he IS a space hero, after all!"

Aoi gave a sideways glance that was slightly cryptic, the corners of his mouth suddenly tense. "Don't say it aloud if he's around... You have no idea what a hard time he has with that label."

Wow, that was a serious statement. Was this insightful young man his middle school friend?

"Besides" he puffed his chest importantly, a wide grin in his lips " how about a new hero for a change? This time will be different - I will be by his side, so... he'll be fine, too!"

It was so like him, to try and put people he liked at ease. Even if it meant going all the way out of his comfort zone.

Because only Hosuke knew that Aoi was still rather timid with other people, something his eager self never showed.

"The launch and everything around it seems to be attracting plenty of attention as it i..." Aoi dropped the phrase and his face showed tension. The bracelet in Hosuke's hand started vibrating and pressing into the flesh of his wrist.

He didn't need to ask what happened.

Two figures were clearly visible behind the Center's fence, in the same place where he and Aoi had found themselves so many times when they were high schoolers.

With the ease of someone who knew the Center by memory, his friend had already vanished down the corridors, towards the launch site.

He ran just in time to see the astronaut halt in front of the structure that sustained the rocket prior to launch.

There was no mistaking Aoi Daichi's raised shoulders and fisted-up hands. He curled his own fists in balls almost automatically.

 _The intruders... were already inside the fence._


	2. What didya say y'are?

"I am... telling you... you shouldn't..."

He panted, forcing his thin voice to make himself heard, though he knew he was making no headway into his quarry. When it came to this... he really wasn't heard at all.

Trotting behind his back in anxiety, he couldn't see his face, but he could well imagine the furrowed, stubborn eyebrows and the narrowed eyes fixed on his only objective.

After all, it was him who had noticed the fence gap that was left unguarded and leapt up with little ceremony. Once he saw the rocket, the die was cast. There was little hope of stopping a runaway train, and the same could be said of his friend.

"Wait! Look, there is a guard over there! You don't want to get in trouble for th-!"

No response and no sign that he had heard anything. He continued in long, firm strides towards the only thing that mattered.

Only... he wasn't the only one who was stubbornly fixed on the rocket.

 _ **"Aoi-kun, wait!"**_

The junior astronaut stood in front of the rocket, arms extended, alert, tense and frowning darkly. He was a tall guy, but his opponent stood a few inches above his height, a stare mirroring the same tension.

Two spiky heads. One dark, the other purple... The resemblance was uncanny and yet... the energy was different.

Hosuke froze. With an audible gasp, the intruder's companion stopped too.

He tried to consider the situation logically. They were equally numbered... and by the looks of it, they could easily overpower the newcomers. With this in mind, he felt relaxed, and decided to dash towards the second intruder, who gave a weak cry and lifted his arms to protect himself.

"Give 'im the ol' one-two, Shuichi... I've got matters ta' settle 'ere" the taller one grunted, his eyes still clashing with the junior astronaut's steely gaze.

"Not if I settle those matters first" Aoi's reply came through clenched teeth.

"Aoi-kun, easy, they're kids" warned Hosuke, only too aware of the scared teen he had in front of him.

The atmosphere turned so cold that the lawyer had the distinct feeling of being in outer space himself. The air around the two defiant contenders turned icy, and it felt like electric surges were surrounding them.

After what seemed an eternity, hands flew at the same time from both sides.

Daichi's hand got the intruder's collar.

The intruder's hand slammed hard the rocket's base.

 ** _"Momota-kun!"_**

It was more a plead than a warning or anything. Hosuke stared at the frail teenager... until now, he had been cowering in front of him and didn't seem to be in half of a mind to do anything. But as soon as things became physical...

"I'm... done here"

The voice sounded rough, hoarse, but relieved of a burden.

"You ruddy well aren't!"

Hosuke did a double take. It had been a while since he had heard the junior astronaut's voice bellow at full volume. Boy, he wouldn't like to be in the skin of anyone who made Aoi Daichi angry...

But the guy named Momota seemed thoroughly unconcerned.

He pulled his hand off the rocket and... walked a step back.

That startled the junior astronaut, who let go of his collar and waited, hands fisted, for another approach.

Which didn't come.

Nose up in the air, hands jarred at each side, the newcomer seemed to be lost in contemplation. The ocassional muttering was inintelligible for everyone but Daichi, who was still two steps away from him, and seemed surprised about what he heard.

"Okay, officer" he said harshly, breaking his train of thought. "Arrest me if ya' want. I kinda deserve it fer'trespassin','fter all"

"Officer?!" Aoi looked confused, while his lawyer friend broke in laughter. He did, after all, look the part of a police deputy, with his sempiternal visor and white gloves...

"Wait, if y'are not an officer, then why the hell were ya' lookin' so fussed over this?"

"Because" confidence sort of brimmed out of the junior astronaut's now relaxed shoulders "I'm going to travel in this spacecraft, in my first mission as an astronaut!"

Two purple pupils looked at the jacket, with a grunted huff that looked like he had recognized something.

"Tch... Astronaut, you?"

 _Oh, **no**._

"Got a problem with that?" Tensing again, the bandaged-nose young man advanced another step, eyes narrowed.

"Problem?" The other guy looked sideways, as if saying something he'd rather not. "With you takin' this trip before Momota Kaito, Ultimate Astronaut, famous even in outer space? No, not one problem. Why should I? Jealous, me? Not a chance!"

It was Aoi's turn no make a double-take.

"How... YOU are an astronaut?! Just... how old are you?!"

"Old enough ta' ace the astronaut exam before turnin' 20!"

"Wha- That's not... possible"

"An' I say I can make it so!"

"Oh? Then prove it!"

"You prove it first!"

Their exchange was of such energy level, they were almost nose-to-nose again.

Hosuke turned to the kid named Shuichi, equal sweatdrops skidding down their temples...

"Is he _really_ an astronaut?" he asked, his face incredulous.

"Ah, um..."

"Say it loud, Shuichi. What if I had ta' lie 'bout me age ta' be admitted? What if I am a trainee? What if others go ta' space before I do? I will still go places no one has ever gone ta', mark me words!"

A smile appeared in the junior astronaut's face.

"So I figured. You were mumbling 'multi-layer insulation' and 'radioisotope heater units'. It takes either the geekest of nerds or an astronaut trainee to know that!"

"Ah, you heard" Kaito scratched the back of his head in a reflexive sort of motion. When he raised his head, he looked cheerful in a childishly confident sort of way. "So, if y'are not gonna arrest me, then take me to your mission commander!"

"Ah... Hoshinari-san is... uhhh... not available right now" Aoi was aware of how sheepish he sounded. But if there was something the triggered mission commander didn't need right now, was anyone reminding him of his prior venture into space... "He is preparing to take control of the new expedition. It's better not to add too much pressure on him."

Kaito's reaction was a wide grin.

"It won't take long! I just want to tell my new sidekick, the HAT-1 hero, a few tips for his outer space adventure"

" _Sidekick?!_ You are not surely refering to...?!"

Aoi looked in bewilderment at his friend, then at Shuichi, who looked a tad ashamed.

His fringe drooping in defeat, now positively sweating rivers, one phrase formed in Hosuke's mind.

 _"Chuunibyou"_


	3. Challenger and Discovery

No, Hoshinari-san was not coming.

Not now, but he could meet them when they came back from their mission.

Yes, that was a promise.

Yes, on his honor.

Show you two around? Sure!

He knew it was nigh impossible to divert Kaito when he caught an idea in the middle ground between his two ears, but to Shuichi's amazement, Aoi succeeded. It seemed this friend had found someone as stubborn as himself, he thought, and a junior colleague, no less.

On his side, Hosuke was intrigued with this young kid, who stammered that he was an apprentice detective. He had seen several detectives under Ryuunosuke's tutelage, but honestly none as down-to-earth or less threatening as this one.

"It's not a big deal... I just investigate small stuff... nothing too important"

"Yo, Shuichi, quit bringin' th' house down on ya! D'you want ta' scare yer fellow sidekick 'ere?"

And he slapped the junior astronaut's back with more familiarity than you'd expect of a less-than-an-hour old friendship.

"Your what?!" Aoi suppressed a gasp, seemingly bewildered by such impudency. "Hold your horses, at the very least, I'm your _senpai!_ "

"You refuse the honor of being my sidekick? D'you think you'll survive the perils of space without my guidance?"

Hosuke refrained a grin. He sounded so much like Uchuu Oogawara, it was uncanny.

And sure enough, the reply he was expecting came out with the energy he was used to.

"Of course! Even if I go out there, it's okay! _Daichi Aoi will be fine!_ "

Caught by surprise for a second, Kaito blinked, and then laughed heartily. Aoi couldn't stay upset for long and they were soon both laughing.

Even Shuichi smiled timidly. Hosuke flashed a grin. Aoi was preppy, warm and including, but he knew he was still shy at his core. They still went out together and he was otherwise only seen with his Center colleagues. Seeing him loosen around someone who wasn't himself was rare.

Normally, it would have made the lawyer a bit jealous, but somehow he had a really good feeling of this chance encounter. Despite some signs to the contrary...

He could hear phrases he couldn't understand, although he guessed what it was about.

"Прямо сейчас нашим главным источником сгорания топлива является азот"

"Для начала, как я угадал, но у вас есть панели солнечных батарей на борту, так ведь?"

"Мы теперь пробуем другие типы топлив, но, конечно, эту информацию я не могу показать; скажем, что можно будет летать с одним из этих топлив, если удастся испытать его!"

"O, вот это интересно… Мне интересно, будут ли полеты в глубокий космос с использованием пропеллеров, что мы используем теперь…"

"Что, ты уже планируешь полеты в открытый космос? Ты слишком смелый для ученика хаха!"

Russian.

The lawyer couldn't suppress a smile. Pair of showoffs, the two of them! Definitely Aoi had found in Kaito a bird of the same feather!

"Seems your friend found his match, huh?" he said good-naturedly

"Never knew I could find someone who could be on par with Momota-kun" the detective admitted.

"I must admit the same with Aoi-kun" Hosuke conceded. "Sometimes he leaves even me trailing behind when it comes to energy! But your friend there is keeping up the pace... just _fine_!"

Shuichi managed a small smile "You don't need... to talk to me at all, Odoroki-san. I just came with Momota-kun..."

"Because that is what friends do. Mind, if Aoi-kun decided he wanted to sneak a peek at a rocket, I'd go, no buts no questions!"

"... actually, he wants me to go to space with him..."

Well, that might be taking matters a bit too far...

"But why don't you want me to talk to you? Is something bothering you?"

"I am just... an apprentice detective. You are a court lawyer. I am not in your league.

"Hey, I'm as much of a rookie as you are! It took me time to pass the bar exam and I'm still learning under my mentor"

"But it's not the same..."

"I don't see your friend -Momota-kun, was it?- feel any less because of being an apprentice..."

A small smile appeared in Shuichi's lips. "Momota-kun is one of a kind..."

"Yet it still seems like he appreciates you by his side. What was it? The 'old one-two?'"

"Ah... yes... he is teaching me to box..."

Box, huh?

Lucky he didn't seem to need that, growing up. He had Aoi's back and Aoi had his.

In middle school, after the fateful evening when they forged their friendship, Daichi and Odoroki were labelled the noisiest pair in their age group. Always yelling to fire up each other whenever one seemed to falter. One looked out for the other, and since both were so close, it was said that making either of them your enemy was winning an additional foe.

Yet... they weren´t like Kaito and Shuichi, at least for as long as he had observed both.

He could barely fathom how the friendship of these two worked, since Shuichi was so meek. Although he had seen something similar...

"These two kids... sort of remind me of Shinobu and Kokone, to be fair..."

Yes, he could see that happening. He pictured Kokone's bright, energetic stance beside Shinobu's rather anxious frame and could successfully match it to the high schoolers in front of him.

But another image appeared in front of him that made him smile reminiscently.

 ** _Two kids dressed in identical gakuran jackets, faces stuck to the wire fence, yelling in unison to a concerned-looking young man in training gear._**

 ** _Hosuke's twin hair fringe flew in front of his face like an eager bee's antennae, as he jumped and yelled his trademark "Daijobu!" to match Aoi's bellows._**

 ** _"Didja see? He's looking much better!" Aoi's grin filled his entire face._**

 ** _"Thanks to you, no doubt!" Hosuke yelled back._**

 ** _"Not really! He already knows he'll be fine! We are just fillin' in as background noise!"_**

Aoi did know and notice when someone was not feeling okay... just now... he was being deceived by the bubbly demeanotr of the purple-haired kid.

His bracelet tightened, telling him a story he didn't figure out about the young man that seemed so confident beside his best friend...

He was not saying everything out of his heart. His stance was transparent, and still...

"TABLE OVER THERE!"

"Hey, y'know, all the blueprints and such are secret, I can't just go about showing them to you!"

"Blueprints?" A look of confusion appeared in the ultimate astronaut's face

"Well, we were talking about rockets and MACH speed an-"

"Who said blueprints?! I want to test your strength, sidekick!"

At the spirited reply, a vein pulsed in Daichi's temple. "If I beat you, _will you quit calling me sidekick and use senpai instead?!_ **I'M** the one going to space, **not you**!"

"And **I'M** the hero here, **not you**!"

Hosuke resisted the urge to sob-yell at the reply. Instead, he facepalmed himself loudly. Shuichi grinned apologetically.

"Is he _seriously_ like this all the time? How do you even cope?" he lamented

"Uh... yes he is. Daichi-san should get used at it... I don't think Momota-kun will relent!"

And... relent he didn't.

As soon as they could locate one chair in front of the other, an arm wrestling match began.

Shuichi could only stare apprehensively, while Hosuke loudly yelled at him to keep going. Both astronauts were grinning widely, foreheads almost touching from the tension of bending over their arm in a lock, and Kaito's shirt was already dripping wet, but none was giving an inch of headway.

Panting, the Ultimate Astronaut looked at his senior, mischief etched in his face as he held his own without batting an eye.

It was just a game, right? Just a display of strength, nothing much...

Yet, out of nowhere, a voice cut off the standoff, and it was anticlimatic, awkward, even slightly scary.

"Hey, cut it out! Over! Stop! And I mean _you too_!"

Translation:

 _"Right now, our main source of combustion is nitrogen..."_

 _"For liftoff, I guessed so, but you have solar panels on board, right?"_

 _"We are now trying other types of fuels, but as you know, I cannot give you more information, but let's say that if we are successful, you will fly with one such fuel one day!"_

 _"Oh, that sounds interesting now… I wonder if flights into deep space will even use propellers that are in use now…"_

 _"What, are you planning to go on a deep space mission already?! You've got tons of guts for a trainee, haha!"_


	4. Don't worry, Base, we are fine!

Shuichi blinked nervously. There was accumulated tension on Hosuke now, as he slammed the desk with the same force and authority he held in the court.

He no longer was cheering for Aoi

His hand was over his bracelet.

"What? **No!** D'you know how long it took me ta' find some'un who would-"

"I don't care! Just stop or I'll send you two to the gallows! I don't care about the charges! I will find something! **You're both madmen anyway!** "

It would have been funny... if it wasn't for the agitated tone of voice.

"So what if we are, it ain't yer business!" Kaito yelled back at Hosuke.

"Yeah, we can keep going at it, no problem!" Aoi's bellow echoed the one from his quarry.

"What kind of astronauts are you? Have you forgotten your training so easily!?"

Hosuke's energy had changed completely, and even as the two hot-blooded spacemen frowned at him, Shuichi could easily see where this was going to end.

Worst case scenario...

 _'Not a brawl, please... I won't be of any use...'_

But it turned out to be his best case scenario instead.

With the longest, most resigned _"cheeeeh"_ in human history, Kaito's face evolved into seriousness.

Aoi gave his friend a curt nod.

Both opened their hands at the same time, and equal grunts came from both of them.

"I knew it"

"What was that all about, Odoroki-san?"

The bracelet never lied. Both were keeping up smiles despite the tension -and the pain- both were feeling.

"So you didn't notice... Aoi-kun is going to space... And you, Momota-kun, you have a training regime, don't you? You train your bodies to be fit... and just for a little fun... you could have injured your arms!"

The junior Astronaut, putting his glove back on while covertly massaging his wrist, chuckled heartily at the heated response from his best friend.

"Such subtlety, man, I get why you don't have a girlfriend yet!"

"Of all people, for _**YOU**_ to tease me on that...!"

"Haha, really? Need a few tips there to woo the ladies?"

"Hey, what's with the gang-up?! Not **_YOU_** too!"

Shuichi looked at his shoes, a shy smile emerging on his lips, feeling left behind in that environment of macho comradery. Would he always be the odd man out in the group of boys? No one seemed to mind him much when love affaires were concerned...

He raised his eyes when he felt a pat on the shoulder, but it wasn't Kaito - it was Hosuke again.

"Don't feel bad. I'm used to the teasing"

"...Oh, it's not like I have that much of a love life either"

It was fortunate that the ultimate astronaut's attention was focused elsewhere...

"I know what we can do!"

"Momota-kun...!"

"I getcha, I getcha! With no injuries our lawyer can object to!"

And he pointed to a corner, where a box with several balloons was in plain view. Hosuke recognized those. There were a lot of them in the lobby when the HAT-1 mission was about to lauch. These should be in place for HAT-2...

"Time to test your lungs, sidekick"

"Stop, those are for after the launch... Wait. Side- _**you are not going to drop that!**_?"

"Dropping **what,** exactly? Ha! You didn't beat the Luminary of the Stars!"

Obnoxiously, with that concentration that wasn´t broken by anything once his attention was captured, he walked around Aoi, fixing him with a persistent stare.

"Though now that I think about it... if y'ave a handicap ta' begin with... 'tis not fair"

"Handicap, what are you talking about?!"

"Well, if ya' can't breathe properly...!"

Kaito pointed self-sufficiently at Aoi's nose bridge, where his band-aid was placed.

The junior astronaut's face darkened.

"Ah... y _ou might want to rephrase that..._ " Hosuke looked alarmed.

"Rephrase what? The handi-"

The purple haired trainee eyed back at the lawyer, whose eyes were shooting daggers. "That is **-not-** a handicap. It's a memento."

He didn't want to voice it. When Hosuke had found Aoi crying, and successfully cheered him up, they had talked for a while, and he knew the reason. However, with what he had seen until now about the Ultimate Astronaut, he had expected him to ask, aned there was no saying how Aoi would react.

Yet instead... his face showed sorrow.

Somehow, he knew the extremely dense teen had caught what exactly it was.

"Ah... I shouldn't've voiced it like that... Y'are... entitled to have a keepsake... My bad for assuming..."

There was something in the air that told Shuichi that his friend and Aoi had an unspoken bond of loss.

The junior astronaut blinked, apparently taken aback at the sudden change.

"No problem. You apologized, _it's fine_."

"Well... if you say so..."

Hosuke felt the tension ease in his wrist. The bracelet... again...

"It´s good to see you share something more than a passion. You understand each other from inside! Maybe one day you will both be going to space in the same mission!"

"Then what about you having Saihara-kun as a detective aide in a case!" Aoi replied, relieved at the mood breaking.

"Nonsense! My sidekick is going to go up to space with me, no excuses!"

"Wait, Momota-kun, I may not be fit...!"

"Are you serious... you are just going to sneak him in?!" Aoi looked equal parts admired and worried.

"Like, why not? I am the One who Roared to the Universe! I will find a way, you just wait!"

Hosuke closed his eyes, smiling at the thoughts that crossed his mind. His friend deserved little moments of joy like this one. Finally at ease with himself., he summarized his discoveries from the ultimate astronaut, challenger to the title of conqueror of the stars.

 _He is just like Aoi. He has a weakness inside. Kokone could check that much better... but I bet he is trying not to make anyone worried. He is a tad loud... and speaks without thinking at times... but has good intentions._

 _They can benefit from each other, and since they are colleagues, maybe... maybe this time, Aoi will have someone younger to inspire. About time, too... He is always reaching out to people who are older than him, and being entrusted with things made for people older than his years._

Maybe a good healthy bit of rivalty and competition would be the thing his mature and eager friend needed right now. A little fun once in a while could benefit Aoi´s reserved self and help him mix better with the others... and Kaito... he coulkd also learn how to be among others.

He coughed to attract their attention just briefly. There was a sure waty to reach all people, and he had just the perfect thing.

"I don´t know you guys, but I'm starving. Care to pick some food before we round up the whole place? I'm so hungry could eat Ponta..."

"Hear, hear! I´m all for it... wait, did you say Gonta?!"

"Oh man, do you have a death wish? Don't let Yugami-san hear you!"

"I... think I can go eat something, too... maybe?"

 _"I cleared second base with Momota-kun. Yet... this guy, Saihara-kun... still intrigues me..."_

Was it already second nature to want to know more?

By this time, pretty much.

Hosuke tried to think he would never need to meet the two youngsters in court, but by now, it seemed that all the people he met out and about ended up across his seat in the defense table...

And as much as he liked this chance encounter, he had also a feeling that Aoi was not the only one who would need to reach out to a younger fellow...


End file.
